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‘Honey Boy’: Shia LaBeouf’s Rehab Assignment Yields a Heartbreaking Biopic
Honey Boy
By Dana Kendall
When director Alma Har’el first met Shia LaBeouf, she discovered that both of their fathers were alcoholics—and “all children of alcoholics are my brothers and sisters,” she explained at the world premiere screening of Honey Boy, written by LaBeouf and based on his troubled childhood.
The two collaborated on a number of other projects before LaBeouf’s screenwriting debut—but this screenplay didn’t start off as a film project at all; it began as an assignment during his recovery. While in rehab, LaBeouf was tasked with writing down his life experiences, and they came out in script form simply because of his tendency for narrative.
Study Shows Promising Directorial Pipeline for Women and People of Color
Sundance Institute/USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study shows women are represented at Sundance in significantly greater numbers than ten years ago, but are still far below 50%.
PARK CITY, UT – January 25, 2019 — Sundance Institute and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative (AI2) today released demographic data on submissions and acceptances to the annual Sundance Film Festival to reveal key insights on the talent pipeline in the film industry for women and people of color.
The report was issued in partnership with Professor Stacy L.
Ashton Sanders Is on a Collision Course with Tragedy in ‘Native Son’
Native SonBy Jeremy Kinser
Native Son, Richard Wright’s classic novel about the tragedy that befalls a young black man in Chicago, has endured many adaptations into feature films, television movies, and stage productions since its publication in 1940. Rashid Johnson, an influential visual artist who makes a very impressive directorial debut, has updated the story to the present day and created a potent version that speaks to contemporary audiences. Johnson’s nervy take on the material opened the festival’s U.
Here’s How to Follow the Festival from Anywhere in the World
If you can’t join us in Park City for the festivities this year (or if your fest schedule is already booked to the brim), we’ve got your back. Sundance.org is once again presenting tons of live video and editorial coverage of film premieres, panels, and music, as well as up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media.
‘RBG,’ ‘Minding the Gap,’ and More: Sundance-Supported Films Lead Oscar Doc Nominations
A banner year for documentaries at the box office has officially extended into awards season. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its Oscars nominations in all 24 categories this morning, with Sundance Institute-supported nonfiction films all but sweeping the Best Documentary Feature category. The nominated documentary features include RBG, which tells the inspiring story of America’s intrepid Supreme Court justice, and Minding the Gap, from young first-time director Bing Liu, who went from making skateboarding videos to creating a no-holds-barred exploration of the deeply entrenched effects of the cycle of abuse.
Offscreen at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival: Panels and Events
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute will convene dozens of offscreen events, including inclusive and intersectional conversations on the next wave of storytelling, radical data transparency, the future of democracy at its intersection with the arts, behind-the-scenes panels on the art of filmmaking and musical performances that range from intimate to raucous at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival taking place in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Sundance, Utah, January 24 through February 3, 2019.
The first 2019 installment of the longstanding Power of Story series, Power of Story: Makers of the New Narrative Revolution will convene Terence Nance (As Told To G/D Thyself, Random Acts of Flyness), Reggie Watts (Runnin’), John Gaeta (Senior Vice President of Creative Strategy, Magic Leap), Stephanie Dinkins (Not The Only One), and Sarah Ellis (The Seven Ages of Man, director of digital development, Royal Shakespeare Company) and moderator Julia Kaganskiy to explore a range of inspirations, the changing nature of artistic discovery, the necessity of invention, and how culture stands to be dramatically reshaped by revolutionary, new narrative experiences. Power of Story is presented by Dropbox.
Meet the 2019 Knight Fellows
(R-L) Jonathan Cuartas, Paige Wood, Ryah Aqel, and Tara GadomskiAs part of our commitment to developing and nurturing the next generation of creative voices, Sundance Institute, with the support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation annually selects four Knight Fellows to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Sundance Film Festival: Juries, Awards Night Host Announced
Los Angeles, CA — Sundance Institute will gather 20 celebrated and revered expert voices across film, art, culture and science to award feature-length and short films shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with 12 prizes, announced at a ceremony February 2 that will be livestreamed at sundance.org and on YouTube. Short Film Awards will be announced at a separate ceremony on January 29 and will also be livestreamed.
2019 Sundance Film Festival Announces Talent Forum Program
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute announced today program information for the first-ever Talent Forum, a new event for creators and industry at the Festival, bringing together a slate of artists and projects across all stages of development. This new event marks an expansion of the nonprofit Institute’s year round continuum of support for independent artists.
Emerging talent from the Institute’s signature artist development Labs and Fellowships will gather at the Festival, in Park City, Utah, to present new work to industry attendees, alongside a special artist-only program of keynotes, screenings, gatherings and seminars.
How to Fest in Salt Lake City: Your Guide to Films, Music, and More
Some 30 miles outside its bustling epicenter in Park City, the Festival offers a robust slate of events and activities in neighboring Salt Lake City. Five official Sundance Film Festival venues now reside in Salt Lake City, presenting a diverse array of film screenings and artist Q&As for downtown audiences.
Find out more about Salt Lake theaters, lounges, and box offices on our How to Fest page, and check out the schedule of films playing in SLC by browsing our film program.
Eight Indigenous-Made Films to See at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival
Want to see which films by Indigenous filmmakers made their world premieres at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in Park City? See the list here.This year, eight Indigenous-made films from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States will be premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Native American and Indigenous Film Program has a global focus and through its work strengthens Indigenous cinema.
Final Additions to 2019 Sundance Film Festival Lineup
Park City, UT — Sundance Institute rounds out this year’s 2019 Sundance Film Festival program with today’s additions to the Documentary Premieres and Special Events sections. The Festival will take place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort January 24-February 3, 2019.
DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES CATEGORY
The Brink / U.
Meet the Class of 2019
From grueling days on set to momentous breakthroughs, dive into these quick-hitting, exclusive introductions to the Sundance Film Festival class of 2019. Get a glimpse at never-before-seen film clips and hear intimate stories from the production trenches.For many, this is the first time they’ve been able to share their story and recount the journey of their project—everything from the profound to the peculiar to the downright shocking.
Sundance Institute and Time Warner Foundation Select 9 Artist Fellows for Grants
Los Angeles, CA — Nine diverse independent artists will receive support from the 2018 Sundance Institute | Time Warner Foundation Fellowship, the Institute announced today. These Fellowships, and accompanying grants, are part of the non-profit organization’s year-round efforts to discover independent artists from underrepresented communities and support them as they create their work and connect with audiences.
The Fellowship supports Fellows working in film, theatre, film music and new media, as well as in the Institute’s Native Program.
We Spoke to Dozens of Independent Film Distributors; This Is What They Want in a Project
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in January 2019, and a few updates have since been made to reflect changing distributor names and offerings. I’m a writer/director, but because I’m in the micro-budget indie feature world, I take on a lot of producing duties as well. As with a lot of my colleagues, I looked at all the films that had inspired me and assumed a lot regarding how they got out into the world.